JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s not all that often that you’ll find a Heisman trophy finalist in the fourth round of the NFL draft. That’s exactly what the Jaguars have in former Oklahoma receiver Dede Westbrook. One of the reasons Westbrook lasted until the fourth round was because of his actions off the field. Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell said that there is a zero tolerance policy regarding Westbrook and off the field issues.
If Westbrook can produce like he did at Oklahoma, where he was the 2016 Biletnikoff Award as the best receiver in the nation, they could have a steal.
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Position: Wide Receiver
2016 Stats (At Oklahoma): 80 catches, 1524 yards (19.1 rec. avg.), 17 touchdowns
2017 Projection: The addition of Westbrook makes the Jaguars wide receivers the deepest position group on the entire roster. If healthy Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns and Marqise Lee will likely occupy the top three receiver spots. So where does that leave Westbrook? Of the trio I just mentioned, only Lee has the speed to match Westbrook. He ran a sub 4.4 in the 40 yard dash at Oklahoma’s pro day. If nothing else he gives Blake Bortles another deep threat. There’s also a chance that Westbrook could be a contributor in the return game. Last season at Oklahoma he had a 71-yard punt return for a touchdown.
Key Stat: In 2016 the Jaguars averaged 5.5 yards per punt return.
From the locker room:
Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone on will Westbrook be an outside or slot receiver:
“I think, right now, the way we’re teaching him is we’re going to teach him outside first. That’s the way we’re going to start it. We’re going to put him on the outside first because he only played on the one side. He’s played on one side so there’s a lot more learning to what Westbrook has to go through than maybe the others players that are here and part of the 90. We’re getting him used to just playing both outside spots. Let’s see where that goes first and then see what to do.”